Insert for pliable magazine carrier
A semi-rigid pocket insert for holding an ammunition magazine or clip within a pliable magazine carrier is provided. The pocket insert comprises opposing walls, a base, and a slip-resistant liner on the interior and exterior surface of the walls. The walls further comprise flared top ends.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/876,840 filed Jul. 22, 2019. The entire contents of the above application are hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
FIELDThe invention relates to ammunition magazine carriers. More specifically, the invention is directed to a pocket insert for pliable magazine carriers.
BACKGROUNDSoft, pliable, modular carriers are ubiquitous in the tactical gear industry. These carriers (or pouches) are pockets commonly used to carry rifle magazines and pistol clips. The carriers are often attached to the user's belt, harness or other clothing and may be removed to reconfigure the user's gear ensemble. The carriers are usually composed of two or four flexible walls and a base made from a pliable fabric, such as CORDURA®, with an open top end operable to receive ammunition magazines or clips.
As the magazine or clip is inserted into the carrier, the fabric material typically flexes and creates a semi-secure hold on the magazine or clip. Likewise, when the magazine or clip is removed or absent from the carrier, the fabric material contracts to its “un-flexed” original position.
Trouble often arises during insertion of the magazine or clip. Before inserting the magazine or clip, the user must manually stretch the open top end of the carrier to accommodate the magazine or clip. This can be a cumbersome exercise, requiring the user to focus all attention and use both hands to insert a magazine or clip. Another problem is the magazine may get caught on the fabric which slows insertion, causes the fabric to wear and become torn, and may cause the magazine carrier to fail. For a soldier or emergency responder who is required to assemble tactical gear in a moment's notice, the time required and degree of difficulty in loading and unloading magazines or clips can be crucial to a successful mission.
Another problem arises while the magazine is stowed away in these carriers; often, the user's movements may cause the magazine to fall out of the carrier due to a lack of friction between the magazine and the fabric of the carrier. Dropping or losing magazines can be dangerous for several reasons. Emergency responders are trained not to drop or lose magazines in public, particularly full magazines, because live ammunition may be used for criminal purposes or harm those not properly trained to use it. It can be life threatening if, for example, an emergency responder or soldier reaches for a full magazine during combat only to find an empty carrier. Moreover, a dropped magazine could become soiled and cause the user's weapon to jam, which could endanger the user.
In addition, emergency responders and soldiers often benefit from the ability to carry full magazines that do not make noise while the user moves, as stealth operations are typically preferred. The lack of sufficient friction between the metallic surface of the magazines and the fabric of the carriers tends promote rattling of the magazines within these carriers.
Accordingly, there is a need for an insert device that can be easily installed into these soft, pliable carriers, to provide enhanced retention capabilities, facilitate easy insertion of a magazine or clip into the pocket, and improved noise suppression.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe following embodiments thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, machines and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, and not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.
The present invention meets the aforementioned needs by providing a pocket insert comprising opposing walls and a base with an open top end operable for receiving an ammunition magazine or clip. The walls and the base may be formed from a single length of semi-rigid material bent upon itself approximately midway between its ends to form a type of U-bend, from which extends two opposing walls upward from the bottom base. The interior and exterior surfaces of the opposing walls further comprise a slip-resistant lining which, in a preferred embodiment, has been overmolded to the pocket insert.
In an alternative embodiment, the top-ends of each wall may be slightly flared outward to increase insertion tolerance and ease insertion of the magazine or clip. In yet another embodiment, the walls are biased away from each other, which will ensure a firm fitting within the pliable carrier when the walls are compressed inward to fit within the carrier.
As depicted in
Optionally, in order to facilitate easier insertion of the magazine into the pocket insert and surrounding magazine (or clip) pouch or carrier, the top ends 30 of the walls 20 are flared outwards away from the walls 20, which creates an open end 40 that facilitates easier insertion of a desired ammunition magazine (not shown) into the clip insert and surrounding carrier.
Turning to
Second, in similar fashion, the protruding slip-resistant lining 50 on the exterior surface 45 operates to secure the pocket insert to the surrounding magazine carrier or pouch. The biasing outward of the walls 20 operates as an additional measure to secure the pocket insert within the magazine carrier by forcing the exterior surface 45 of walls 20 and the protruding slip-resistant lining 50 upon the surrounding carrier.
Turning to
The pocket insert may be made from a group materials with rigid or semi-rigid properties such that that the pocket insert holds its shape when the pocket insert is placed within a soft, pliable, fabric-based modular carrier. Some examples of these materials include nylon, polypropylene, or other materials with semi-rigid properties.
For the purposes of promoting and understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, this specific language intends no limitation of the scope of the invention, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative examples of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way.
For the sake of brevity, conventional aspects of the system (and components of the individual operating components of the system) may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the connecting lines, or connectors shown in the various figures presented are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections may be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical.” Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A pocket insert for a pliable ammunition magazine carrier comprising:
- two opposing walls, each wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a top end and a bottom end, wherein the walls are biased away from each other;
- a slip-resistant lining disposed on the interior surface of the walls; and
- a base connected to the bottom ends of the walls,
- wherein the opposing walls and base form an interior cavity with an open top operable to fit within a pliable magazine carrier.
2. The pocket insert of claim 1, wherein the top ends of the opposing walls are flared.
3. The pocket insert of claim 1, wherein the opposing walls and base form a single, contiguous body.
4. The pocket insert of claim 1, wherein the slip-resistant lining is selected from the group of materials comprising TPE, TPV, or TPU.
5. The pocket insert of claim 1 further comprising a slip resistant lining disposed on the exterior surface of the walls.
6. The pocket insert of claim 5, wherein the slip-resistant lining is selected from the group of materials comprising TPE, TPV, or TPU.
7. The pocket insert of claim 1 wherein the walls comprise a plurality of apertures operable to allow the slip-resistant lining to be overmolded to the walls.
8. A pocket insert comprising:
- two opposing walls, each wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a top end and a bottom end;
- a slip-resistant lining disposed on the interior surface and exterior surface of the walls, wherein the walls comprise a plurality of aperture operable to allow the slip-resistant lining to be overmolded to the walls; and
- a base connected to the bottom ends of the walls,
- wherein the opposing walls and base form an interior cavity with an open top, the pocket clip is operable to fit within a pliable magazine carrier.
9. The pocket insert of claim 8, wherein the top ends of the opposing walls are flared.
10. The pocket insert of claim 8, wherein the opposing walls and base form a single, contiguous body.
11. The pocket insert of claim 8, wherein the slip-resistant lining is selected from the group of materials comprising TPE, TPV, or TPU.
12. The pocket insert of claim 8, wherein the walls are biased away from each other.
13. A pocket insert for a pliable ammunition magazine carrier comprising: two opposing walls, each wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a top end and a bottom end; a slip-resistant lining disposed on the interior surface of the walls, wherein the walls comprise a plurality of apertures operable to allow the slip-resistant lining to be overmolded to the walls; and a base connected to the bottom ends of the walls, wherein the opposing walls and base form an interior cavity with an open top operable to fit within a pliable magazine carrier.
14. The pocket insert of claim 13, wherein the top ends of the opposing walls are flared.
15. The pocket insert of claim 13, wherein the opposing walls and base form a single, contiguous body.
16. The pocket insert of claim 13, wherein the slip-resistant lining is selected from the group of materials comprising TPE, TPV, TPU.
17. The pocket insert of claim 13, wherein the walls are biased away from each other.
18. The pocket insert of claim 13 further comprising a slip resistant lining disposed on the exterior surface of the walls.
19. The pocket insert of claim 18, wherein the slip-resistant lining is selected from the group of materials comprising IPE, TPV, or TPU.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jul 22, 2020
Date of Patent: Aug 24, 2021
Patent Publication Number: 20210022487
Assignee: Edge-Works Manufacturing Company (Burgaw, NC)
Inventors: Scott V. Evans (Jacksonville, NC), David Pomeroy (Tamarac, FL)
Primary Examiner: Justin M Larson
Application Number: 16/935,863
International Classification: A45F 5/02 (20060101);
